The Manchurian Incident was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military as an excuse to invade the northern part of China, Manchuria. The Japanese argued that they needed more living space for their citizens. They blew up one of their own railway lines, and blamed the explosion on the Chinese. Using this "motive", the Japanese military invaded and took over Manchuria.
<-------- Troops entering Manchuria
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| Japanese troops entering Shenyang during Mukden Incident |